Cast iron cottage pie recipe

Comfort food at it’s finest. Hearty, toasty, savoury, and simple to bring together. A traditional cottage pie is made with ground beef, plenty of vegetables and mashed potatoes. I took it over the top with creamy roasted garlic parmesan mashed potatoes. 

Rich and flavorful cottage pie is a delicious, traditional meal that is perfect for a hungry family or get together. It’s perfect for a cold winters evening, or even a sunny spring Sunday brunch. This best cottage pie recipe is full of of savory ingredients you likely already have at home, this is a great recipe to keep in mind for your loved ones. I used ground beef as our the base and alongside tomato paste, garlic, and fresh herbs for lots of flavor. Flour, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce come together to create a gravy, and corn, carrots, celery and peas add some vibrance to this rich meat & potatoes dish. For the mashed potatoes, I wanted them to be as creamy, fluffy and full of flavor as possible, so I used parmesan cheese and roasted garlic. Lastly, I finished baking this cast iron cotttage pie in the broiler to give it a golden crust.

Why cottage skillet pie?

Using the cast-iron skillet as our sautéing, baking, and serving pan made preparing and serving this dish easier. There are a few steps in this recipe from making mashed potatoes to making a flavorful gravy for your ground beef, so by doing most of the work in one skillet, I could worry less about dishes and more about desert.

My muse

A few years ago I saw “cottage pie” served on a television show, and it struck my curiosity. I had never heard of it, and given my obsession with cottages, I decided to look it up. It sounded promising, so I put the basic ingredients on my shopping list for the week. When I told my husband what I planned to make, he insisted it was the same as Shepards pie. My understanding is that the names may be used interchangeably depending on your region, but most commonly the difference is that cottage pie is made with ground beef while shepards pie is made with lamb. I used ground beef in this recipe.

Where does “cottage pie” come from?

The name “cottage pie” was first used at the end of the 18th century. During this time, people who lived in the country began consuming potatoes as a staple in their diet. In many regions, any kind of meat and mashed potato pie is still referred to as cottage pie. In modern Britain, cottage pie is referred to a dish made with ground beef and mashed potatoes, where as shepherds pie is made with lamb. Many variations of the recipe exist, including replacing meat all together with vegetables, and including more vegetables like lentils or mushrooms.

Ingredients in cast iron cottage pie recipe

For the garlic parmesan mashed potatoes:

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

½ cup heavy cream

1 large egg

1 stick of salted butter

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 head garlic

salt and pepper

For the ground beef filling

1 ½ pounds 93 percent lean ground beef

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups beef broth

2 teaspoons worestershire sauce

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup corn

2 stalks celery

 

 

Notes:

Use lean beef to prevent a soggy cottage pie!

 

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Cast iron cottage pie recipe

Yield: 12 large slices

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Comfort food at it's finest. Hearty, toasty, savoury, and simple to bring together. A traditional cottage pie is made with ground beef, plenty of vegetables and mashed potatoes. I took it over the top with creamy roasted garlic parmesan mashed potatoes. 

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Ingredients

• For the garlic parmesan mashed potatoes:
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg
• 6 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 clove garlic, roasted
• salt and pepper
• For the ground beef filling
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups beef broth
• 2 teaspoons worestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup corn
• 2 stalks celery

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Peel 1/2 head of garlic and generously coat with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven, set aside.

Cover potatoes with water in large saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon salt, bring to simmer over medium-high heat, and cook until potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Drain potatoes and transfer to large bowl for mashing. Add in your roasted garlic. Using potato masher, mash potatoes until smooth. Whisk parmesan cheese, milk and egg together, then stir into potatoes along with 6 tablespoons melted butter. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; cover and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add carrots, celery onion, and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook until soft and tender. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, garlic, and thyme. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth and Worcestershire. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

Turn off heat and add in peas and carrots.

Smooth mashed potatoes over ground beef filling. If desired, use a fork to make ridges on the surface.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Place skillet in broiler for 2-3 minutes to allow it to get golden brown and crusty.

Notes

Use lean beef

Nutrition Information

Yield 12 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 434Total Fat 25gTrans Fat 1gSodium 423mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 31g

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